Social Justice
Sign Language Day

Relevance IN - Prelims ( about International Sign Language Day + role of ISLRTC) + Mains ( GS II Social issues - government policies and interventions - steps taken for the vulnerable section of population)
What's the NEWS

• The New Delhi- based Indian Sign Language Research and Training Centre (ISLRTC), an autonomous body within the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (Divyangjan) under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, celebrating ‘Sign Language Day' today.

Know! about International Sign Language Day

• Ever since the United Nations declared 23rd September as the International Sign Language Day' ,the ISLRTC has celebrated it every year.
• The objective of the program is to sensitize the general public about the importance of Indian sign languages, and the information and communication accessibility for persons with hearing disabilities.
• Sign language not only plays an important role in educating people, but also is vital in creating employment and vocational training for persons with hearing disabilities.
• ISLRTC signed an MoU with National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) on 06th October, 2020 for converting NCERT textbooks from Class I to XII into Indian Sign Language (digital format) to make the textbooks accessible to children with hearing disabilities.
• First phase of the project for conversion of Class I to V textbooks has been completed and e-Content thereof will be launched during the programme.

Indian Sign Language Research and Training Centre (ISLRTC)

• The Union Cabinet approved the setting up of ISLRTC as a Society under the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment MSJE
• An order to this effect was issued by the MSJE on 28th September, 2015, leading to the establishment of ISLRTC.
• As per the 2011 Census, the total population of deaf persons in India numbered about 50 lakh.

Why establishing ISLRTC was a much needed step?

• Indian Sign Language (ISL) is used in the deaf community all over India. But ISL is not used in deaf schools to teach deaf children.
• Teacher training programs do not orient teachers towards teaching methods that use ISL.
• There is no teaching material that incorporates sign language.
• Parents of deaf children are not aware about sign language and its ability to remove communication barriers.
• ISL interpreters are an urgent requirement at institutes and places where communication between deaf and hearing people takes place but India has only less than 300 certified interpreters.
• Therefore, an institute that met all these needs was a necessity.
• After a long struggle by the deaf community, the Ministry approved the establishment of ISLRTC at New Delhi on 28^th September, 2015.

Environment
Commission for Air Quality Management in the National capital region and adjoining areas takes a series of steps towards abatement of Air Pollution
Relevance IN - Prelims ( about CAQM + highlights of the steps taken by the commission) + Mains ( GS III Environment conservation + GS II centre-state relation)
What's the NEWS

• The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) in the National Capital region and adjoining areas informed in a series of tweets the steps taken by the Commission towards abatement of Air Pollution.

Steps taken by the commission to abate pollution due to stubble burning

• Punjab, NCR states have prepared detailed action plans for the prevention and control of stubble burning.
• The plans have been formulated based on the framework made by CAQM and directions have been issued for strict implementation of the action plans.
• Directions have been issued for adopting a Standard protocol developed by ISRO for recording and monitoring the fire counts owing to Stubble burning.
• Use of Bio-Decomposer technology developed by IARI, as part of in- situ crop residue management
• Ex-situ utilization of crop residue and promoting utilization of Paddy Straw Pellets/Briquettes for Co-firing in Thermal Power Plants- Directions issued to all 11 Thermal Power Plants with in 300Kms radius of Delhi
• Installation of Anti-smog guns and screens at construction sites,
• Delhi has now completely switched over to PNG/Cleaner fuels for all of its 1635 identified industries.
• Regular monitoring through a reporting mechanism developed by the "Safeguarding and Enforcement" Sub-Committee bimonthly, a Decision Support System (DSS) for Air Quality Emergency response
• A technical support team with professionals from reputed institutions like IIT Delhi (lead partner), IMD, IITM, TERI, NEERI and C- DAC Pune has developed a preliminary Decision Support System and a Comprehensive Action Plan formulated by the State Governments/GNCTD for Plantation/Greening measures in NCR.

Components of the framework

• In-situ Crop Residue Management- Supported by CRM Scheme of Ministry of Agriculture
• Ex-situ Crop Residue Management
• Prohibition of Stubble/Crop Residue Burning.
• Effective monitoring/enforcement.
• Plans / Schemes to reduce the generation of paddy straw.
• IEC activities for the Plan of Action

The Commission for Air Quality Management in the National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas Bill 2021

• The bill will apply to the NCR and the areas adjoining the NCR in the States of Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, where any source of pollution is located, causing adverse impact on air quality in the NCR.
• The bill provides for the constitution of the commission for air quality management in NCR and adjoining areas.
• Three sub-committees to assist the commission, including sub-committee on monitoring and identification; sub-committee on safeguarding and enforcement; and sub-committee on research and development.
• It has decriminalised the act of stubble burning and withdrawn the clause for possible jail time.
• It proposed to levy environmental compensation fees on those who are found to be engaged in stubble burning, including farmers.

Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM):

• The Commission was first formed by an ordinance in October 2020.
• The erstwhile Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority, or EPCA had been dissolved to make way for the Commission.
• The Commission will be a statutory authority.
• The Commission will supersede bodies such as the central and state pollution control boards of Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, UP and Rajasthan.
• Chairperson: To be chaired by a government official of the rank of Secretary or Chief Secretary.
• The chairperson will hold the post for three years or until s/he attains the age of 70 years.
• It will have members from several Ministries as well as representatives from the stakeholder States.
• It will have experts from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Civil Society.
• It will have the powers to issue directions to these state governments on issues pertaining to air pollution.
• It will entertain complaints as it deems necessary for the purpose of protecting and improving the quality of the air in the NCR and adjoining areas.
• It will also lay down parameters for control of air pollution.
• It will also be in charge of identifying violators, monitoring factories and industries and any other polluting unit in the region, and will have the powers to shut down such units.
• It will also have the powers to overrule directives issued by the state governments in the region, that may be in violation of pollution norms.

Bilateral Relations
Launch of Negotiations for the India - United Arab Emirates Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA)

Relevance IN - Prelims ( about CEPA and other types of Trade Agreements) + Mains ( GS II India - UAE bilateral trade relations)
What's the NEWS

• India's Minister of Commerce and Industry and United Arab Emirates Minister of State for Foreign Trade, have formally launched negotiations on the India-United Arab Emirates Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA).
• The first round of CEPA negotiations will be held on 23-24 September 2021.
• Both sides will aim to conclude negotiations by December 2021 and sign a formal agreement in March 2022
• Both Ministers emphasized that CEPA will create new jobs, raise living standards, and provide wider social and economic opportunities in both nations.
• A new strategic economic agreement is expected to increase bilateral trade in goods to USD 100 billion within five years of the signed agreement and increase trade in services to USD 15 billion.

Know! about India -UAE relations

• The UAE is currently India's third-largest trading partner with bilateral trade
• The UAE is also India's second-largest export destination after the US, with exports valued at approximately USD 29 billion in 2019-2020.
• India was the UAE's second-largest trading partner in 2019, with bilateral non-oil trade valued at USD 41 billion.
• The UAE is the eighth-largest investor in India, having invested USD 11 billion between April 2000 and March 2021, while investment by Indian companies in the UAE is estimated to be over USD 85 billion.
• India's major exports to the UAE include petroleum products, precious metals, stones, gems and jewellery, minerals, food items such as cereals, sugar, fruits and vegetables, tea, meat, and seafood, textiles, engineering and machinery products, and chemicals.
• India's top imports from the UAE include petroleum and petroleum products, precious metals, stones, gems and jewellery, minerals, chemicals and wood and wood products.
• India imported USD 10.9 billion of crude oil from the UAE in 2019-2020.

Know! about CEPA

• A comprehensive economic partnership agreement (CEPA) is a free trade agreement between two countries
• It is a kind of free trade pact that aims to provide an institutional mechanism to encourage and improve trade between the two countries.
• Under this agreement, countries reduce or eliminate the duties on the products.
• The countries also give relaxation in the norms to promote the services trade.

Some examples of CEPA/CECA

• The Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) is a free trade agreement between India and South Korea. The agreement was signed on August 7, 2009.
• The Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) is a free trade agreement between Singapore and India to strengthen bilateral trade. It was signed on 29 June 2005.
• The Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) is an agreement between Malaysia and India to strengthen bilateral trade.
• India-Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement (ISLFTA), which was signed in 1998, has become operational in 2000.
• The India-Mauritius CECPA is the first trade agreement signed by India with a country in Africa.

Know! the types of Trade Agreements
Free Trade Agreement (FTA):

• A free trade agreement is an agreement in which two or more countries agree to provide preferential trade terms, tariff concession etc. to the partner country.
• India has negotiated FTA with many countries e.g. Sri Lanka and various trading blocs as well e.g. ASEAN.

Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA):

• In this type of agreement, two or more partners give preferential right of entry to certain products. This is done by reducing duties on an agreed number of tariff lines.
• Tariffs may even be reduced to zero for some products even in a PTA. India signed a PTA with Afghanistan.

Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA):

• Partnership agreement or cooperation agreement are more comprehensive than an FTA.
• CEPA covers negotiation on the trade in services and investment, and other areas of economic partnership.
• India has signed CEPAs with South Korea and Japan.

Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA):

• CECA generally covers negotiation on trade tariff and TRQ (Tariff Rate Quotas) rates only. It is not as comprehensive as CEPA. India has signed CECA with Malaysia.

Governance
National Single Window System for Investors and Businesses Launched

Relevance IN - Prelims ( about the benefits of NSWS) + Mains ( GS II Governance - ease of doing business)
Know! all about NSWS

• This single window portal will become a one-stop-shop for investors for approvals & clearances
• The portal as of today hosts approvals across 18 Central Departments & 9 States, another 14 Central depts & 5 states will be added by Dec'21
• All solutions will be there for all at one click of the mouse through ‘End to End' facilitation .
• This would bring Transparency, Accountability & Responsiveness in the ecosystem and all information will.be available on a single dashboard.
• An applicant Dashboard would be there to apply, track & respond to queries.
• Services include Know Your Approval (KYA), Common Registration & State registration Form, Document repository & E-Communication
• NSWS will provide strength to other schemes e.g. Make in India, Startup India, PLI scheme etc.

Know! about its inception - Investment Clearance Cell (ICC).

• It was announced by the Finance Minister in the Union Budget speech 2020
• To set up an Investment Clearance Cell (ICC) that will provide "end to end" facilitation and support to investors, including pre-investment advisory, provide information related to land banks and facilitate clearances at Centre and State level.
• The cell was proposed to operate through a online digital portal.
• Subsequently, DPIIT along with Invest India initiated the process of developing the portal as a National Single Window System (NSWS), which will provide a single platform to enable investors to identify and obtain approvals and clearances needed by investors, entrepreneurs, and businesses in India.

NSWS provides following online services: -

• Know Your Approval (KYA) Service: an intelligent information wizard that generates a list of approvals required by any business to commence operations. This service is only for guidance purposes and does not constitute any legal advice.
• Common Registration Form: To ensure a single point of submission of information and documents across Ministries and States, a unified information capturing system along with a common registration form has been introduced.
• State registration form: Enables investor to have seamless single click access to respective State Single Window System.
• Applicant dashboard: Provides a single online interface to apply, track and respond to the queries pertaining to approvals and registrations across ministries and States.
• Document repository: An online centralized storage service for investors to enable one-time document submission and use the same across multiple approvals. This eliminates the need to submit documents at multiple portals.
• E-Communication module: Enables online response to queries and clarification requests related to applications by Ministries and States.

Economy
PFC issues India's first ever Euro-denominated green bonds

Relevance IN - Prelims ( about PFC + green bond and blue bond)
What's the NEWS

• Power Finance Corporation (PFC) launched its maiden €300 million 7-year Euro Bond issuance which got oversubscribed 2.65 times by institutional investors across Asia and Europe
• It is not only the first Euro bond issuance by PFC but also the first ever Euro-denominated Green bond issuance from India.
• It is the first Euro issuance by an Indian non-banking finance corporation(NBFC) and the first Euro bond issuance from India since 2017

Know! about Green Bond

• Green bonds are a type of 'fixed income' instrument earmarked to raise funds specifically for climate and environment related projects.
• These securities are issued by borrowers to secure 'financing' of projects having a 'positive environmental impact' such as ecosystem restoration or pollution mitigation
• Green bonds work just like any other corporate bond or government bond. That is, investors buying these bonds can expect to earn a reasonable profit on their maturity or maturity.
• These are bonds linked to an asset, and are backed by the balance sheet of the issuing entity.
• These bonds are often given a 'credit rating' similar to the issuer's other debt obligations.
• It can also be issued with some exemption from 'taxes' as an incentive to invest in 'Green Bonds'.
• The World Bank is a major issuer of Green Bonds
• According to the 'Climate Bond Initiative', in the year 2020, about $270 billion worth of green bonds were issued.

Blue Bond

• The 'sustainability bonds' issued to finance projects to protect the ocean and related ecosystems are called 'blue bonds'.
• These bonds can be issued for projects to protect sustainable fisheries, coral reefs and other vulnerable ecosystems, or to reduce pollution and acidification.
• All blue bonds are 'green bonds' but all 'green bonds' are not blue bonds.

Power Finance Corporation Ltd.

• It is an Indian financial institution under the ownership of Ministry of Power, Government of India.
• Established in 1986, it is the financial backbone of Indian Power Sector.
• PFC is India's largest NBFC and also India's largest infrastructure finance company.
• Initially wholly owned by the Government of India, the company issued an initial public offering in January, 2007.
• On 6 December 2018, the Government of India approved PFC's takeover of REC.
• The acquisition transaction was completed on 28 March 2019 with PFC paying almost Rs. 14,500 Crs to the Govt. of India for the 52.63% stake.

REC Limited, formerly Rural Electrification Corporation Limited

• It is a public Infrastructure Finance Company in India's power sector.
• The company is a Public Sector Undertaking and finances and promotes power projects across India.
• The company provides loans to Central/State Sector Power Utilities in the country, State Electricity Boards, Rural Electric Cooperatives, NGOs and Private Power Developers.
• On 7 December 2018, the Cabinet Committee of Economic Affairs gave its in-principle approval for the sale of 52.63% REC to the state-owned Power Finance Corporation (PFC).

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